Homeward Bound
by ThreeSpot
Summary: We know whats happening on the other side of the galaxy, but what about Earth?


1 Month prior to Dog With 2 Bones...  
  
The Earth solar system hadn't seen much action in the overall since the wormhole almost 3 years ago. The human race had continued scurrying across the surface of their planet, occasionally foraying into space but not really achieving anything since the Farscape's dissapearance. But the calm of the slowly rotating planets was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a relatively small ship starbursting in near Jupiter. The ship itself was a hog pog conglameration of parts that looked to have come from atleast 10 different kinds of vessels. A Spartan vessel with merely one small cargo bay, a half dozen walk in closet sized crew birthing's, the only thing that seemed advanced about he ship were its now failing engines, and its command module. Clearly a craft designed for scouting runs in deep space with a minimal crew, the ship was made for a there and back trip working in conjunction with a larger ally instellation be it a large ship or an orbiting space station. The ship was aptly named the Bootlicker for its toady appearance as it seemed to hunch over and cringe in the black drop of space.  
  
"Where the frell are we?" Commander said as he turned in his chair and looked at Navigator where he sat behind a console. Navigator's facial fur rippled in his form of a shrug. Commander turned in his chair and surveyed the crew at their work stations in the bridge pits on either side of a walkway. In all there were 5 of them on the ship including Commander, Navigator, Xenobiologist, Mechanic, and Technician. Their biology included Commander's large reptilian, Navigator's small furry fanged biped, Xenobiologist's slimy crustaceous squat form, and the ant resembling form of Mechanic and Technician. The only thing that they even remotely shared beside working area were glowing green eyes, but even that was in stages with Commanders shining like beacons and the others dimmer depending on the intelligence demanded by their position.  
  
"The good news, people, is that we successfully escaped that Daggership on our tail," Commander said as he spat on the deck, " the bad news is that we have no idea where we are."  
  
"I'm on it!" Navigator screeched from his forward position as he scanned the star charts in their database.  
  
Commander stiffened as he tried to control himself from spinning around and ripping out the little monkey's throat, instead he turned and looked at Technician demanding, "What kind of damage did their weapons do?"  
  
Technician clicked his mandibles and surveyed his own screen, "The laser blasts completely destroyed our communications system. The cargo is amazingly still intact, but were leaking fuel."  
  
"Mechanic, can you fix it?"  
  
"I can patch the hole, but we'll need more fuel."  
  
Where are we going to get a chemical based fuel out here in the middle of nowhere? he thought as he stroked his chest with a clawed hand. They hadn't picked up any signals after entering the system, but he might as well check and make sure there was no civilization nearby. Their ship had relatively simple fuel systems that allowed for quick bursts of speed, but it was a proverbial "gas guzzler."  
  
"Xenobiologist, run a scan of the system and see if there's any life around here." He barked and strode back to his command chair to look at the view screen.  
  
Xenobiologist rolled his eye's and punched in a few commands, after a few seconds the computer came back with a surprising answer. Xenobiologist looked up, "Commander, you're not going to believe this."  
  
"What?" he replied expecting to find out that there were proper frelled.  
  
"There's a planet capable of supporting life here."  
  
"Good, so what's so special about it to get you riled up?"  
  
"The dominant species of the planet is both relatively low tech and numbers in the billions."  
  
Commander froze, Billions?! Billions of beings that he assumed, since there was no space traffic in the system, were unable to defend themselves. This was a gift if there ever was one, if he believed in gods he would be thanking them right now. Their initial purpose was to find a species worth bringing into the Nesgul Collective, but the usual yield of a planet capable of being taken was a million beings. Planets numbering in the billions could usually fight off the invasion effort unless a portion of the scant Nesgul fleet was brought in. It was rare that the fleet would gather in one place since the Chaflan's battleships could easily destroy the Nesgul's less capable fleet. But this planet was a striking rare ore, billions of beings too un-advanced to have the technology to fight off the infectious spore that would make them willing members of the collective.  
  
"Navigator forget the stupid star charts and set a course for this planets," he smiled revealing rows and rows of teeth, "Its time to unload the payload."  
  
While on the unsuspecting planet earth Josh Kevin Gray was at that very moment fighting for his life in a giant dueling arena against a monster that was about to chomp the princess of Mars. He raised his laser sword and ran towards the beast when-  
  
"Josh! Would you put down that stupid book. Were wrestling in 5 minutes, get your head in the game!"  
  
Josh looked up to see his bestfriend and teammate Brian standing in front of him dressed in sweats identical to the ones he was wearing holding both their head gear. Josh sighed and put the book down, "Sorry man, but these guys are real push-over's. I'm more worried about Claymore University next week." He then climbed to his feet and they both began walking towards the mat.  
  
"Josh, I don't know why you want to go into space, you already spend enough time with your head in the clouds." With that Brian threw him his headgear and ran onto the mat to stretch.  
  
Josh sat and began stretching, thinking of what his friend said. Everyone seemed to always be telling him to "pay attention, sit up straight, apply yourself." The truth was that even though this was his second year of college he was bored to tears. When a guidance counselor had asked him what he wanted to do he had straight faced said that he wanted to go into space. The guidance counselor stopped for a minute seemingly caught off balance by the answer. When he finally asked what was stopping Josh he had told him about his math problem. Josh scowled remembering the day he had tested for flight training in the airforce since being a pilot was a good way to get up there. He had found out that while he had a quick hand and good eye, his ability to do complex math wasn't up to par. He had finished his 2 year tour and gone to the college where his bestfriend's Brian and Felicia attended. They had been the only 2 who really understood him and why he wanted to go into space, it wasn't being an astronaut, it was the possibility of going to another planet that excited him. But with that dream smashed he had taken the school up on their wrestling scholarship and was now taking classes to be a writer. Yeah a writer, you don't like writing. You just like reading because it takes you somewhere else.  
  
"I swear," he mumbled to himself as the match started and he sat with the other wrestlers, "If an alien ship fell out of the sky I'd climb on it in a second."  
  
In orbit above north america the Bootlicker sat like a metallic, square toad. On the bridge the Commander considered for the thousands time whether he should just crack the shell of the annoying Xenobiologist.Better not, command would kill me, good Xenobiologists were hard to find. Though it is tempting.  
  
As if able to sense his superiors thoughts the small crablike scientist took one step back but continued to rant and rave, "I advise against this Commander, I advise against it strongly! We have no idea what kind of effect the colonization effort will have. We should take time, examine the biology of the creatures and then decide if the planet can be infested."  
  
Commander snorted, blowing snot on the shell of his short subordinate, "We have no idea if that Daggership is going to follow us into this system. Besides," he said gesturing the screen displaying the blue and brown planet, "This planet has 5 billion individuals smart enough to be infested and no technology to stop us. Do you have any idea how big a promotion I'm going to get for infesting this planet? I'm not going to sit here and take the chance of someone else bringing this species into the fold."  
  
The Xenobilologist blew bubbles out of his mouth to show his displeasure but squatted a few inches more to show his submission, "Very well, Commander."  
  
"That's the spirit!" Commander replied slapping the top of the other's shell roughly in a gesture that mocked friendliness. Climbing back into his chair he flicked the comm. switch and hissed into it, "Technician, loose the package."  
  
The entire ship shook as the belly hatch opened and a large asteroid with glowing green veins fell towards earth. It streaked through the upper atmosphere holding together and finally landing off the eastern sea board. Commander clucked with pleasure, the bacteria could infect through any median, bringing about the desired change in about 1 day if it was uninterrupted by medical efforts of the afflicted. All there was left to do was wait.  
  
Josh sat in the locker room after the match on the bench slowly untying his wrestling shoes and slipping them off one after another. He stood and walked over to the sink looking in the mirror at his haggard appearance. With dark brown eyes paired hair a shade lighter he wasn't good looking enough to be in an Old Navy advertisement, but he was relatively handsome. His friends always said that he had a look of thinking or focusing on some spot far away that seemed to unnerve people. At 6'2 he cut a healthy looking figure, that was how he had heard it described, a healthy looking figure. He was inclined to agree since he was neither cut nor fat, just healthy looking.  
  
Brian walked in wrapped in a towel, "Josh, showers open. Quit looking at your ugly mug and get dressed, I'm starved."  
  
Josh smiled as he picked up his own towel and bar of soap as Brian walked away. Brian was as sarcastic as they get, but he hadn't lied to anyone, ever. Probably why he's such a good wrestler.  
  
15 minutes later they were driving downtown towards the sports bar and grill where Brian worked since he had left his car there this morning and it was as good a place as any to eat. With music from the 70's blaring out of the impressive speaker system in Josh's Dodge Ram they discussed the match and how they had picked apart the other teams wrestlers. Once they arrived at the Bar Josh got a table in the back and ordered himself a plate of fries and a hamburger for Brian who had gone to stuff his bag in the bag of his Viper.  
  
Brian sat down in the little booth and tore into his hamburger like a mad man. Around a mouthful of beef he mumbled, "Did you hear?"  
  
"Huh?" Josh replied as he covered his French fries with ketchup and ate one.  
  
Swallowing this time to make himself more understandable, "Megan got that new apartment."  
  
Megan. Megan was Brian's girlfriend, her and Josh had one or two disagreements ranging from whether he should leave his pizza in Brian's fridge when he came over too whether Brian should quit wrestling. There differences of opinion meant they stayed away from each other as much as possible, but they kept up the façade of getting along for Brian's sake. "Hey, that's great!" Josh said smiling.  
  
Brian smiled and took another bite of his cheeseburger.  
  
"HEY SHUTUP ALL OF YA!" Brian looked over Josh's shoulder as Josh turned around to see what Big Tony the owner and bartender was yelling about. Big Tony grabbed the remote and turned up the t.v.'s volume till it was all you could hear.  
  
The t.v. flashed images of an asteroid flying through the atmosphere and a shot of where it landed right off the coast of Georgia. A news anchor appeared, "The asteroid seemingly appeared out of nowhere and landed in the Atlantic ocean strangely intact. Scientists at NASA have made a statement saying that the asteroid fragment that landed was not quite large enough to cause any form of massive tide change, but it is the largest fragment to ever hit the Earth."  
  
"Well that's some weird shit now ain't it?" Brian said before going back to his burger.  
  
Josh was turning back to his own plate of fries when a strange feeling hit him, it started in the pit of his stomach and stayed right there. It was the feeling that got him the night before his first wrestling match, his test for the pilot training, and finally now. When he looked back after the events of the next few days he realized that it was what most people called a premonition.  
  
"I gotta go, see ya Brian." He said as he finished his beer and walked out into the parking lot to his truck.  
  
12 hours later the entire crew of the Bootlicker looked on as their Commander paced back and forth across the walkway mumbling curses to himself. Xenobiologist hoped that the "giant lizard" would either go nuts justifying his death by the crew's hands or he would do something stupid to get himself killed, but no such luck.  
  
"Why is there no effect on the planet?" he screamed looking at Xenobiologist.  
  
Xenobiologist sighed and began another scan of the planet wondering why he had allowed himself to be posted on this stupid scouting mission. Yes there purpose had been to scout out and find a planet with a possible host species, the rumors from a race of intergalactic bovine killers had told of a race in large numbers, but this was beyond anyone's expectations. Xenobiologist had a gut feeling when they first found the planet that it was too good to be true so, surprise, surprise it looks like it was turning sour.  
  
Xenobiologist's musings were interrupted by a beep from his console as the results,Oh great, the giant lizard isn't going to like this, especially since it proves I was right.  
  
"Commander after scanning the planet and then the system to see what could stop the bacteria from spreading it seems that the sun emits a special bandwidth of radiation that kills off the colonization spore."  
  
"WHAT!!!!"  
  
"As long as there is sunlight on the planet we will be unable to infect the human species," Xenobiologist the mumbled to himself, "besides you used our only spore."  
  
"Well that's wonderful, what the frell am I supposed to do now?"  
  
"Under normal circumstances I would suggest you radio the closest ship with a spore, but since our comm. systems were destroyed while running from the daggership I suggest that we return to our origin space station and procure another."  
  
Technician stepped forward and injected quickly, "Commander we have to also aquire fuel to be able to starburst out of this system. I think that the planet is advanced enough to have the rough ingredients necessary for our ship."  
  
Commander's eyes lit up and the rest of the crew simultaneously had the exact same thought, Oh frell.  
  
Commander smiled and walked back to his chair leaning back in it and staring at Earth, "While were there why don't we procure a sample specimen. He can help us to get the fuel we need and we can take him back with us so we can do tests and find out something about this planet. Xenobiologist, do you have any of those translator microbes? I don't want to have to do that pantomiming thing we had to do last time we took a planet."  
  
"Yes, I believe I have one full injection left."  
  
"Good. Navigator set us a course for-"  
  
"Uh Commander," Navigator looked up from his panel and gestured at the screen where a small green dot was flashing on one of the continents "I think that's some form of crude homing beacon."  
  
Commander stiffened, "They know were here?"  
  
"No sir, I think that it is more likely an individual just doing it for kicks. The signals weak, it's barely traveling this far and from what Xenobiologist has shown me the dominant species of the planet would be capable of a much more powerful signal."  
  
"You think that it's another one of those extraterrestrial hunters?"  
  
"Most likely. I don't see how they could have had prior contact with alien life forms, this system is pretty secluded."  
  
Commander had heard stories of these kind of beings, real crackpots, but they were always willing to go up with you in your ship. Most didn't realized they'd frelled up until they were being tortured for information or were infected with the bacteria, but that was usually only in the case of species able to fight back.This should be a cinch.  
  
He turned to Navigator, "Set a course for that beacon, once night falls on it were going to land and find our fuel."  
  
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP  
  
This is the part that I hate about late night partying,, Josh reached one hand out from underneath the blanket that covered him and switched off the alarm clock, waking up sucks, but I guess the alternative's worse. Josh sat up and fumbled for the remote for a minute before switching on the t.v. That was the great thing about sleeping on your couch, t.v.'s always a few feet away. A few minutes into a wily coyote roadrunner cartoon his phone rang, wincing at the loud ringing noise he picked up the receiver, "Hello?"  
  
"Hey, Josh!"  
  
"Hey Felicia. Could you talk a little bit quiter? I had a pretty late night."  
  
"Yeah sure. Hey listen you know that experiment I was running on long range space communication out in the woods by briar creek? Something just came up and I need someone to run the equipment for the rest of the day, do you think you can do it?"  
  
"Okay, I don't have work today and I've been meaning to take a look at this thing you were building. I'll be up their in 10 minutes."  
  
Thanks, see you in 10."  
  
Josh drove down into the woods behind the college thankful that his truck had 4 wheel drive and wondering how in the hell Felicia made this trip in her firebird every other day without ruining the shocks. In a few minutes he found the small shack that she had built to cover the equipment with a satellite dish sticking out of the room. Walking up he knocked on the door and opened it to find Felicia sitting in a lawn chair twisting knobs and dials on a small black box.  
  
Felicia turned to see who walked in and found Josh leaning against the door frame watching her. "Hey mad scientist." He said and took a seat next to her on a bench.  
  
"Hey Josh, I'm really glad that you could do this, my mom's coming into town and I don't want her to find out I'm still "Wasting my time" with this stupid theory."  
  
"The one about contacting aliens?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I don't mind. Just remember, if you ever do talk to any E.T's, tell them that there's someone willing to go up with em."  
  
"Yeah," Felicia replied laughing as she gathered her stuff and walked towards the door, "You and me both. Just keep all of the lights in the green and the computer should record the data. See you tonight when my mom leaves."  
  
Night fell quickly in the woods of Briar creek as Josh sat reading a science fiction novel and listening to his CD player, occasionally turning a dial or flipping a switch on the black box..  
  
Commander looked out the porthole of his cabin as the bizarre looking planet turned towards the line of night and day. He laid back on his sleep couch and settled into a comfortable position and pondered the imminent future and what it would bring him. He had started out as nothing more than a Docking Bay Corrdinator after his inception into the Nesgul, the thing he had hated the most about it was the title and lack of responsibility. Years of watching others of higher species rise to the position of commander had made him hungry, hungry for the power. Finally, after an exhausting day of watching the robotic drones clean and refuel ships he had gone to the local bar to think over how the galaxy had frelled him over. It happened right after ordering another drink based on sulfuric acid. A Nesgul of the same species as him, who was clearly a commander by how brightly his eyes shined sauntered up and said to the bartender, "Bartender, buy a round of drinks! I just came back from finding a planet with 5 million beings colonizing it."  
  
Cheers washed over the commander who was totally oblivious to the bar patron next to him's steely gaze. The Bartender chuckled and handed the Commander a drink and commented, "Won't be long before they move you up a few numbers huh?"  
  
The commander smiled, "I'm at 5367 officer ranking right now."  
  
It wasn't then that he realized the only power was the one that you took and cultivated for yourself. No, that came after he killed the Commander in a dark corridor after following his stumbling steps from the bar in sheer hatred. At the time he himself had had a little too much to drink, so when he heard what sounded like movement he was unable to tell if it was the small parasites running around or someone that could have reported him. When he was sure that no one was coming he walked from the shadows to the decapitated corpse and cut its arm off and ran to his own small quarters after stealing a welding torch from the docking bay. Once in his room he had burned through his own arm and used his species ability to instantly graft any tissue of the same DNA instantly. It went over fairly well since one member of his species was totally identical to another as far as everyone on the docking station was concerned, and the implanted officer barcode in the newly taken arm made sure no one lower ranking than him could possibly call him on it. His newly found command couldn't have come at a better time for him, the commander had just been transferred to the space station to lead scouting missions for new species. It could bring a person up or down in the standing in just a few months depending on the results you get. And the results he got! It seemed that every time he turned around, he and his crew were finding a newly colonized planet that with a little care could be infected with the Nesgul's gift to the galaxy. This would be the piece de resistance, after this he would shoot up to the very top of the officer ranking, with a few more years he should be a High Commander which there were only 10 of which. No one was going to get the credit for this planet, no one but him, and if he had to kill every single person on this ship, he would do it. Hell might even enjoy it; that stupid Xenobiologist was always getting on his nerves.  
  
"Ah, sir?"  
  
Commander rolled over and looked to the doorway and found Navigator standing there.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's night over the homing beacon."  
  
"Good. Turn on the signal jammer that Technician and Mechanic pieced together from what was left of the comm. system."  
  
"Yes sir, uh since the jammer system will only shield us from mechanical notice and not sight should we land some where secluded?"  
  
Duh! "Yes. I'll be down in a second."  
  
Commander rose and walked down the hall way, Finding this planet was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.  
  
Josh was sitting eating a sandwich he had packed earlier when he first heard a quiet whistling noise. When he stepped out of the door of the cabin he hadn't expected to find an obvious space ship sitting in the clearing, maybe a serial killer with an axe and kazoo, but not a space ship. He was already feeling weird when the hatch came down and out walked a giant lizard and crab walking on 2 legs, but when one of them started hacking and coughing as is he were choking on a fish bone, well, that was enough. The last thing he remembered was falling and then nothing but darkness.  
  
"What just happened?" Commander asked as Xenobiologist and him walked over to see if it was still alive, "All I did was say "take me to your leader."  
  
Xenobiologist rolled his eyes, "Do you have to say that every time we meet a new species? Besides, I think he just fainted." Xenobiologist reached into a pouch on his arm and with a sucker attached to one of his claws pulled out 2 needles, one with the translator microbes and the other to wake him up.  
  
Josh woke to a sharp pain in his neck. Opening his eyes slowly expecting the whole thing to have just been a dream he saw the 2 creatures that had walked out of the ship standing over him. When the crablike one leaned down and said in perfect english, "Do you understand me?"  
  
Josh blinked, focused, and blinked again, "Well what do ya know, a hardshell that speaks English." Promptly fainting again.  
  
Commander shook his head, If the whole species is as stupid as this one then we should have the planet in a day at the most. "Give him another shot."  
  
"I can't. It might kill him. I shouldn't have even given him that first shot since I have no idea about his physiology."  
  
"Well what do you suggest? Just sit around until he wakes up? Eventually someone is going to notice us and then our covers blown."  
  
"Is a cover that necessary? I know Chalfan would have our asses for interacting with a species that doesn't have space flight yet, but right now they'd kill us for a lot worse."  
  
Commander poked the native creature with a clawed foot, "I don't care about the Chalfan right now, even with the limited technology they have right now these creatures could probably kill us before we could get off the ground. And they'd be more likely too if they all react like this one does. Beside's I'd rather have the whole planet in the fold before they even realize were as big a threat as we'll turn out to be." He then turned to walk back onto the ship before spinning around and walking up to the figure sprawled in the clearing, "WAKE UP, WAKE UP NOW!", slapping it in the face until it was coheren't enough to stand up.  
  
"What? What do you want." Josh replied as he climbed to his feet.  
  
Commander puffed out his chest and squared his shoulder in what he assumed the faint prone being would find regal and impressing. "Greeting good being! I am Commander, the leader of a scientific expedition into unknown territories. Our purpose is to meet and greet new species that we encounter and offer individuals such as yourself the chance to go into space with us to our research space stations and learn about the galaxy. Once you have completed your education we will return you to your home planet where you can tell your people all about it. What do you say?"  
  
Josh stared at the big lizard , er, Commander, "Okay, yeah." He then thought for a second, Well since the universe if granting wishes. He looked at the heavens, raised both arms to the sky and yelled, "I WOULD ALSO LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS!"  
  
Turning back to the 2 stunned aliens he nonchalantly smiled and said, "Ah well, one life wish out of two's enough for me. By the way my name is Josh Gray."  
  
The other of the two stepped forward and tapped itself between the eyes with a claw, "Honored to meet you, I am Xenobiologist. In both rank and title."  
  
"Hi. You mind if I call you by a nickname or something? Xeno-biolo-gist is a bit of a big title."  
  
Xenobiologist blinked and seemed to smile with his eye's since his mouth wasn't really a movable part, "I'm fine with that. Perhaps later we could discuss your planet and race?"  
  
"Sounds cool...X."  
  
Josh froze as if just now realizing something, "How come your speaking English? On that note, how can I understand you."  
  
Xenobiologist adjusted one of his pouches, "While you were unconscious I injected you with a number of microscopic machines that translate the alien languages you hear into your native tongue. When you speak we hear our native language. Don't worry, the microbes will not affect you in anyway."  
  
Commander leaned forward, "Uh excuse me. Jo-osh was it, we have a bit of a problem that we hope you can help us with."  
  
What kind of problem could aliens have I could help with? I bet I'm going to end up covered in slime. Josh thought, "What's the problem?"  
  
"Unfortunality our ship was damaged while we were running from some...... space pirates. We need to find some chemical based fuel, which Technician and Xenobiologist's believes that your species has developed the chemicals necessary to create what we need."  
  
Xenobiologist bobbed up and down in what apparently was a nod, "Is there anywhere nearby where we could obtain large amounts of chemicals? Most of the ones we need I believe are quite common."  
  
Josh thought for a second and walked over to his truck, opening the door he reached in and pulled out a road map. After looking for a minute he found what he was looking for, "There's a factory where they produce a lot of different chemicals about 50 miles away."  
  
Commander seemed to do the calculations in his head, "I believe that our ship could make it that far. Is there anywhere nearby that we could hide our ship?"  
  
Josh consulted the map again, "There's some woods nearby that I think are deserted, you could hide it there."  
  
"Good, is there anything that you will need when we leave?"  
  
"Wait, do you mean that were leaving as soon as you get your fuel?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But why can't we wait awhile, I need to get my affairs in order."  
  
Commanders head swung back in forth in an arc that looked to be about 180 degree's, "We have to leave before the dawn. We can't allow your people to realize we are here, you see not everyone may react as peacefully as you did. If you're leaving with us then you have to go tonight."  
  
It then hit Josh like a ton of bricks, he was really leaving. He was finally going to have his greatest wish granted and all he could think about was what he was leaving behind, be it friends, family, or his entire culture.But look what you'll be getting in return! Your finally going into space man, besides everyone else would tell you to do it. Josh shrugged, "Alright, when do we leave for the factory?"  
  
Commander motioned towards his ship, "Right now."  
  
Josh walked back into the cabin and began putting all his stuff into his bag, CD player, his notebook, etc, etc.  
  
Back outside Commander and Xenobiologist stood waiting for Jo-osh to return. Xenoliologist looked at Commander and inquired, "What do you think Jo-osh means?"  
  
Commander merely grunted to show his disinterest.  
  
Xenobiologist seemed unaware of his compatriot's disinterest, "Do you think it's a rank? Or a title?"  
  
Commander grunted with more feeling hoping that the annoying crustacean would get the hint. But unfortunately, he didn't, "Most likely it doesn't even have a meaning. Like those imperios Chalfan, with their common names, clan names, and secret names. What's the point of having a secret name anyway? I know that they tell it to at least one person, but it just doesn't make sen-" Xenobiologist stopped speaking when he saw the cabin door open again and Josh walk out.  
  
"Well, I'm ready." Josh carried a small mesh book bag over one shoulder as he walked towards them.  
  
Commander turned towards the ship, "In which direction is this chemical plant?"  
  
Josh walked up the ramp into the bowels of the ship and set his bag down on top of a crate, "50 miles to the west of here."  
  
Commander made his way towards the ladder in the far back followed by Xenobiologsit who said over his shoulder, "We'll be back in a little while."  
  
Josh sat down on the crate to think for a second about all that had just happened. It seemed pretty strange to him that after only talking to these aliens for about 5 minutes he had decided to leave his home planet and everything on it.This is your dream, going into space. Besides they said they were worried about somebody noticing and blowing them out of the sky, that's why they were in a hurry. Still it all just didn't seem to sit right with him, he would have to keep his eyes open and start asking questions.  
  
On the bridge Commander stood next to Navigator and explained the humans directions while Xenobiologist began writing notes on the encounter. "Do you think he suspects anything?" Xenobiologist looked up from his computer screen to see Commander staring at him.  
  
"I doubt it. He seemed very enthusiastic to go with us, and besides, this species doesn't look to be very intelligent anyway."  
  
Commander nodded more to himself than anyone else, "Mechanic."  
  
Mechanic looked up from the panel he was fixing, "Yes sir."  
  
Commander motioned towards the ladder, "Go into the cargo bay and keep an eye on the E.T. Make sure he doesn't blow himself out the hatch or something."  
  
Mechanic rose and scuttled across the deck, "Of course sir."  
  
Commander snorted, "Of course, frelling of course! I wasn't asking, I was telling."  
  
Mechanic nodded yet again with infinite patience and climbed down the ladder. Walking threw the stacked crates of supplies he found Josh sitting amid a pile of ripped up and crumpled pieces of paper. He noticed Mechanic's entrance just as he was scribbling something down furiously. Mechanic stopped right at the edge of the pile of paper and asked carefully, "I'm sorry are you nesting? If you would like I can leave."  
  
Josh looked at the giant ant like figure incredulously for a second and then laughed, "No that's okay. Hi I'm Josh, who are you?"  
  
"I am Mechanic."  
  
"Mechanic huh? How come everyone's name is what they do around here?"  
  
"When an individual joins the Nesgul collective he gives up all rights of individuality, first and foremost is name. It is also done to give the symbol of a new life."  
  
"The Nesgul Collective? Is that some kind of scientist guild or something? And another thing, how come everyone's eyes glow?"  
  
Mechanic thought for a second, "The Nesgul Collective is a group of beings that have accepted that as a galaxy we would be much stronger working together. We do explore for new planets, species, and sciences. Our glowing eye's is one part of our sign of joining the collective. Joining gives one many advantages such as the possibility of enhanced intelligence, improved cell regeneration capacity, and no longer need for sleep. If I may ask a question, why is the floor covered with sheets of carbon?"  
  
Carbon? "Ohh! You mean paper. I'm just trying to write a letter to my friends and family, but I can't get the words right. You know what I mean."  
  
"Why not just leave a mental recording?"  
  
"A what?"  
  
Mechanic looked at Josh incredulously, Surely they must be advanced enough to have invented mental recorders! Mechanic thought for a second on how to explain in terms simple enough for the human to understand, "A mental recorder is a small machine that scans a persons brain for the thought they are thinking at the time of the recording. If I were thinking "Technician buy me a few grudeks." when it was recording, then when Technician listened to it there would be a mental image of me that would tell him the message."  
  
"Sounds good to me, got any on you?"  
  
Mechanic scuttled over to a crate and popped it open. After rummaging around inside for a second he found what he was looking for. Moving back over he held up a small black disc.  
  
Josh took it from Mechanic and looked it over, "It looks like a CD player."  
  
Mechanic had no idea what a CD player was so he just agreed with him, "Yes a little, now you should push the red button on the side about 5 times so that your sure that you get a strong signal. But before you start recording put those black plugs inside your ears." It was generally not a good idea to punch it up to a recording level of 5, but since this creature was unintelligent it shouldn't hurt.  
  
"Like this?" Josh pulled the little black plugs out of the side of the round black disc then put them in his ears, "Now what?"  
  
"Now press the blue button on the other side and think of what you want them to hear. Remember, you can't erase anything that goes on it."  
  
"Is there a limit on how much I can say?"  
  
"Yes, but I doubt your going to go over 100 arns."  
  
"If I leave this for my family and the government gets a hold of it could they figure out what's on it or where it came from?"  
  
Mechanic shook his head, which looked pretty weird considering his neck was tiny in comparison, "The beings that manufacture these make them so that they'll melt if anyone tampers with them. Just press the blue button and start thinking. I'll go check on something so you can have some privacy." He then walked past some crates and out of sight.  
  
Josh waited until he heard Mechanic tinkering with something before he it the blue button, Hey guys this is Josh. By the time you read this I'll probably be long gone and you'll be looking for me. I just want you to know that I'm all right where ever I am, and I'm happy too. Mom, Dad, I love you and I miss you already but this is something that I've been waiting years to do. I can't say where it is I'm going and you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you. To my brother and sister, we had some good times and bad, I just hope that you won't forget me anytime soon. To Felicia and Brian you might have an idea of what happened to me, and I hope you'll be happy for me. Well I got to go; this is Josh Kevin Gray signing off. Oh yeah! P.S. Felicia, you were right. With that he pulled the ear plugs out and put them back on inside the recorder. Rummaging around in his book bag he found a large envelope that his latest issue of SCIFI weekly had come in with the stamp already on it with his apartments address on it; re-closing it he figured that he would drop it in a mail box once they arrived. Hopefully when they came to get his stuff from his apartment they would find and listen to it.  
  
"To all you gentle beings on board we are landing so get ready to move your eamas down to the cargo-"  
  
Commander interrupted the scratchy sarcastic voice, "Navigator would you shut-up! Were landing. Xenobiologist, Jo-osh, and Technician; meet me in the cargo bay."  
  
Josh just sat on the crate waiting for the others. He saw Mechanic go up the ladder and then come right back down 5 seconds later.  
  
"Hey Mechanic where ya going?"  
  
The one who had just come down the ladder turned and looked at him insulted, "I AM NOT A MECHANIC! I AM A TECHNICIAN! I would greatly appreciate it if you would remember that."  
  
"Sorry'."  
  
Technician then turned and watched the ladder, completely ignoring Josh. Soon enough Xenobiologist and Commander came down the ladder and the hatch door opened. Pointing to the north at some bright lights and machinery he asked, "Is that the chemical factory?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Do you think there's anyone there right now?"  
  
"It's around midnight right now. I have a friend who's dad works there and he says there's no night shift so there shouldn't be, maybe a night guard or something."  
  
"Well then we better come prepared. Xenobiologist grab a dart gun in case we run into trouble."  
  
Xenobiologist walked over to a crate punched in a code on what was apparently a lock, reached in and pulled out what looked like a conch shell with a grip on it. He hit a button and it began glowing from the inside.  
  
"You aren't going to kill anybody are you?!" Josh asked somewhat alarmed.  
  
Commander and Xenobiologist shared a quick look that Josh noticed but couldn't read. Commander put a clawed hand palm up on the top of Josh's head, "No of course not Jo-osh, its merely used to stun someone."  
  
Josh sighed in relief. Commander walked down the ramp and motioned them to follow. After a few minutes in the woods they walked out and found a chain link fence. Commander reached out and grabbed a handful of fence and pulled until the cords in his arms stood out and the fence exploded back. Commander threw the length of fence into the woods and gestured at the new hole, "After you."  
  
The little group walked into the compound and poked around for awhile until Technician said he smelled the chemicals necessary.  
  
How good a sense of smell does he have? Josh thought as they made there way into a warehouse. Technician was already gathering what they needed by picking up 2 200 pounds drums at a time and sitting them next to a giant mixer that they would need.  
  
"How much can he lift?" Josh said as the ant like figure picked up another drum that Josh couldn't have gotten his arms around, "If were using all of that then were going to be carrying 2,000 pounds worth of chemicals back to the ship."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Commander said dismissing the problem as Technician turned on the machine and started mixing the chemicals, "Considering your planets gravity Technician should be able to carry 1000 pounds at a time. Why don't you go find a drum large enough for that."  
  
Josh walked deeper into the warehouse wondering where they kept 1000 pound drums. When he did find one it was unfortunately connected to the wall by large steel bands.How the hell are we gonna pull this one out without the whole place coming down on us? he thought.  
  
While he was leaning down examining the welding a rent a cop with a gun walked by and saw him standing there. Pulling his gun he walked up behind Josh and stuck the barrel to the back of his neck, "FREEZE KID!"  
  
Commander and Xenobiologist turned and looked in the direction the human had gone and where the shout came from. Commander leaned out from behind a large drum and saw Josh with the security guard at the end of the row, "Looks like our specimen is in trouble."  
  
Xenobiologist squeezed the firing stud on his dart gun arming it as a dart protruded from the barrel, "I'm on it."  
  
"Don't kill both of them."  
  
Xenobiologist began walking surprisingly quite down the row, "Don't worry, I doubt we could find a more interesting specimen than Jo-osh."  
  
Josh was standing with his hands on his head when he heard a loud "POP". Oh shit! I'M DEAD!  
  
He dropped his hands and began feeling for the bullet hole expecting blood to start pouring out any second when he heard Xenobiologist ask in a concerned voice, "Are you alright?"  
  
Opening his eye's he saw the security guard laying on the ground, a small dart protruding from the back of his neck. "Yeah I'm fine, thanks for saving me. We should be able to pull these drums out and carry the fuel in them.", he replied as he leaned down and tried to find a pulse on the guard. Nothing. He Killed him, HE KILLED HIM his mind seemed to scream as Josh camly rose and walked back towards the mixing machine which was seemingly shutting down slowly but surely.  
  
Commander turned from watching Technician and asked Josh, "Did you find a large enough drum?"  
  
"Yeah," Josh replied in a daze, "It's in the back."  
  
"Technician, go get it."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Once the drum was full Technician lifted the entire thing onto his back with a groan and began staggering in the general direction of the ship with the top of the tank just missing the roof of the warehouse. The group followed him out and Josh came out of his mental funk just in time to catch a mail box and slide his package in.  
  
"Do we have enough?" Commander asked Technician once the ship was refueled and waiting to go.  
  
Technician scanned his console, "We should have enough to make it to another planet where we can get real fuel."  
  
"Good." Commander allowed himself a small smile and walked back towards the viewing screen where Josh stood looking at his planet's sunrise. Commander stood next to him for a minute, the beauty of the dawn completely lost on him, until he finally said, "Josh, I know its hard to leave your home planet. But you will becoming back, and just think of all the wonderful things your going to experience in the galaxy."  
  
Josh nodded and leaned against the screen until Commander gave the order to depart and made his way to his command chair. It wasn't until Earth was lost in the blackness of space that he allowed himself to cry. He had made the right choice, he was sure of that, but it broke his heart.  
  
So what do you think? This is basically bad ground story, the real stuff will start in 1 or 2 chapters. 


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